Deep Weird: The Varieties of High Strangeness Experience. – Jack Hunter

Title: Deep Weird: The Varieties of High Strangeness Experience.

Editor: Jack Hunter.

Publisher: August Night Press, 2023.

ISBN: 978-1-78677-224-4

Book review by Athanasios Komianos

After the two excellent editions (2000 and 2013) of the Varieties of Anomalous Experiences there comes this long needed volume dealing with the utmost bizarre experiences that have been experienced out there in our psychic wilderness.

Never fool yourself that you know enough on any topic. When you say that I have read everything there is to know on paranormal, there comes a new book to make you look like a fool.

This image is the Cd cover of a group that plays psychedelic music called Liquid Sound Company. The image is very similar to what Professor David Luke is referring to as entities that look like “Disembodied Eyes.”

Talking about extraordinary books? This is one of them! The editor Jack Hunter has done an excellent job for bringing together the work not only of the official field of para-psychology but also, he brought in the mindset of the work of Charles Fort, a pioneer investigator of fringe neglected material, as well as the work of investigators of UFO’s, Bigfoot and other phenomena.

As stated by the editor, “we do not begin our investigation from the position of certainty that our ontology [whatever that might be] is the only one that can really be taken seriously. “We” might have it all wrong. Everything is equally possible, everything is equally questionable, and nothing is certain. This is not a rejection of science or the scientific method, but an expansion of it. What I am calling for is a return to awe and wonder in science.”

High strangeness is the highlight of the contents of this book and the outstanding scholars that have contributed to this volume are top of the notch in their fields.

This book will not get you bored since it deals with topics that are mostly taboo for mainstream science. From synchronicity to superhuman faculties, from OBE’s and NDE’s to ectoplasm and poltergeists, from psychedelic manifestations, it’ all there. From entity encounters to fairies, tulpas and egregorial thoughtforms.

In our practice we encourage our clients to reveal things they never have shared with anyone else. Why they haven’t done so? Because the experience has surpassed the boggle threshold of acceptance of the consensus reality.

We, as therapists, are obliged to be acquainted with the findings, terminology and methodology of dealing with the fringe. In that way we will encourage our clients to come out in the open and learn that they are not alone and they should let their feelings surface.